With sincere apologies for the delay, it's time to induct our newest members of the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame:

Our first inductee, from this year's Books category, is Greg Keyes.

Greg Keyes was one of the brightest new contributors to the New Jedi Order series, immediately taking to well-established main and supporting characters like a natural and exuding appreciation of the Bantam-era material while boldly driving the story forward. Keyes advanced the Solo kids and their supporting cast, making Anakin a breakout star, and took fan-favorite classic characters best known for their use in the hands of Zahn, Stackpole, and Allston and wrote them like a master, showing himself to be a true fan in the process. Somehow, he also found time to create memorable, vital new characters like Vua Rapuung and Nen Yim that did much to expand our understanding of the Yuuzhan Vong. Greg Keyes is an excellent author of thrilling adventures, critical to the development of the New Jedi Order series and its cast, who displayed a tremendous feel for the Expanded Universe, respect for what had gone before, deft characterization, and a bold and courageous vision for the saga's further development. We are proud to include him in the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame.

Next, we induct Darko Macan, elected from the Comics category.

One of the greatest writers of Star Wars comics, Darko Macan got his start scripting X-wing: The Phantom Affair, a well-received arc that married humor and pathos, a pattern Macan would continue throughout his comics career. In The Phantom Affair, Jedi vs. Sith, Vader's Quest, and Chewbacca, Macan focused on hard-hitting exploration of character psychology and haunting emotional themes alongside witty humor and action. Among the many subjects Macan has tackled include Wedge's tragic past and drive for vengeance, the lingering spiritual and emotional scars of the Empire's tragedies, a Rebel pilot's transition from disillusionment to sacrificial heroism, Darth Bane's creation of the Rule of Two, and the emotional fallout of Chewbacca's death. Throughout, Macan set heroism against cynicism and interrogated the true nature of heroism, explored its power to inspire, and meditated on the toll of war. Yet Macan also had a way with humor and classic adventure, and his stories were always entertaining as well as though-provoking. It is with great pleasure that we induct Darko Macan, a brilliant writer responsible for some of the great comics masterpieces of the Expanded Universe, to the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame.

Our final inductee this year is from the Reference category: Bill Smith.

One of the most prolific contributors to Star Wars, Bill Smith one of the many foundational Expanded Universe masters from West End Games, responsible for writing and editing dozens of sourcebooks, as well as writing The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels and The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology. The creator of the second edition of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Smith contributed as an author to such WEG works as Cracken's Rebel Operatives, The Politics of Contraband, Galaxy Guide 8: Scouts, Alliance Intelligence Reports, The DarkStryder Campaign, and The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook, and edited classics including the Thrawn Trilogy and Dark Empire sourcebooks; The Death Star Technical Companion; Galaxy Guides 7, 10, 11, and 12; and Platt's Starport Guide. And that's just a small fraction of his output. If you enjoyed WEG, chances are that Bill Smith was a significant part of your favorite WEG experiences -- and who didn't enjoy WEG? An all-around talent, he also wrote short stories for Star Wars Galaxy, regular articles for Star Wars Kids, and pieces for other magazines. Smith was one of the great West End Games contributors, a leader of the great golden age EU medium. Bill Smith, as a prime shaper of the Expanded Universe, deserves this enshrinement in the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame.

These are the current members of the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame that this Class of 2012 joins:

Brian Daley

Among those involved in creating the initial Expanded Universe during the seventies and eighties, perhaps no individual looms larger than Brian Daley. His Han Solo Adventures were the second, third, and fourth EU novels written, detailing the pre-movie escapades of Han, Chewie, and the Millennium Falcon. In addition to a high-energy, pulpy sense of adventure, Daley's novels delivered genuine expansion to the universe by establishing new continuity that remains significant to this day. That trait was shared by Daley's other major contribution to the EU, his scripts for the radio adaptations of the Star Wars films. His first two radio dramas added foundational details to the saga, fleshing out the events and backstories surrounding the movies, while his adaptation of Return of the Jedi, written in 1996 and completed on the day Daley died prematurely of pancreatic cancer, incorporated detail from The Thrawn Trilogy and Shadows of the Empire as well. Between his contribution of many fundamental building blocks of the modern EU and his relentlessly entertaining, action-packed tales of adventure, it is undeniable that Brian Daley belongs in the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame.

Cam Kennedy

The artist of John Wagner's classic Boba Fett stories Murder Most Foul, When the Fat Lady Swings, Bounty on Bar-Kooda, and Sacrifice, as well as John Ostrander's Boba Fett: Agent of Doom, Cam Kennedy is best known as the artist for Dark Empire and Dark Empire II. His distinctive style and use of color provided the perfect mood and look for the rebirth of Star Wars comics in Dark Empire. His tone-setting color palettes, strange aliens, imposing technology, striking renderings of characters, and knack for memorable images established the dark, ominous look and feel that made Dark Empire and the Boba Fett comics so successful. Hugely distinctive and tremendously important, Cam Kennedy deserves his place in the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame.

Michael A. Stackpole

With the long-running X-wing novels and comics; the groundbreaking first-person novel I, Jedi; his role in planning the New Jedi Order series and writing the Dark Tide duology; his numerous short stories; and his work on comics such as Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand and Union, Michael Stackpole has had an impact on the Expanded Universe as large as that of any other author. Stackpole's fan-favorite characters are now much of the major supporting cast of the universe, and he set a great deal of the tone for the universe in the 1990s; his close collaboration with Timothy Zahn was especially vital in creating a cohesive universe. At home creating rich new characters or deftly using established ones, Stackpole helped pioneer the telling of side stories in the universe before helping establish a grand new main narrative with the New Jedi Order series. Truly one of the great and definitive contributors to the Expanded Universe, Stackpole is eminently worthy of inclusion in the inaugural class of the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame

Al Williamson

Already a well-established and highly-respected fantasy, science-fiction, Western, and adventure comic artist by the 1970s, Al Williamson was specifically sought out by George Lucas to illustrate Star Wars comics. Williamson and his longtime creative partner, writer Archie Goodwin, did the Marvel Comics adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back, a few more Marvel issues, and the adaptation of Return of the Jedi, but their most prolific collaboration was on the daily Star Wars comic strip from 1981 to 1984. There, Williamson provided the artwork for such memorable and important events as the discovery of Hoth, the Executor's maiden voyage, the evacuation of Yavin, and Han's run-in with a bounty hunter on Ord Mantell. In both the comic strip and comic books, Williamson's art was detailed, realistic, and breathtakingly beautiful as it set the adventures of the Heroes of Yavin in lush and fantastic scenery. Furthermore, no one has ever drawn Darth Vader better than Williamson. His classic art, perfect for the pulpy adventures penned by Goodwin, has fueled the imaginations of generations of Star Wars fans, and it is with great pride that the Aluminum Falcons Hall of Fame welcomes Al Williamson.

I'd like to congratulate all our inductees, thank Quest for his excellent work on the award images, and thank all of you who voted. The Aluminum Falcons had an excellent year, and your votes are why.